The ruling was approved by the United Reformed Church (Picture: Getty)credit getty

A protestant church has become the first in the UK to permit same sex weddings in churches.

Yesterday, the United Reformed Church voted overwhelmingly to allow same-sex couples to marry in churches across the UK, and it’s thought that the first ceremonies could take place as soon as this Autumn.

It now means that 37-year-old mum-of-two Lee Battle and fiancée Anne Swift from Manchester can finally tie the knot in a church, after they held off their big day in the hope that the decision would be approved.

Lee is due to start training as a church minister, and says that it is ‘completely illogical’ for her to not get married in a church.

Anne and Lee are hoping to get married soon (Picture: Facebook)

She is in a long-distance relationship with fiancee Anne, a doctor from Cambridge, and they hope to tie the knot in either Manchester or Norwich.

Speaking before yesterday’s decision, Lee told the BBC: ‘To be able to think that God could be involved in this ceremony for me is just overwhelming.

‘I remember on my other wedding day it was like a major person missing out of the room.

‘It didn’t feel quite as it should do because there was this big part of me that was missing in the day, and so to be able to include God and have hymns is just for me a huge step forward.’

The decision to allow gay couples to marry in churches operated by the United Reform Church was hailed by general secretary Rev John Proctor.

He said: ‘Today the URC has made an important decision – at which some will rejoice and with which others will be uncomfortable.’